Shaikha Mahra Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum Courtesy of Shaikha Mahra Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum/Instagram
Sheikha Mahra Mohammed Rashed Al Maktoum, daughter of Dubai’s ruler, has had enough of her husband.
“I hereby declare our divorce,” the princess wrote to husband Sheikh Mana Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum via Instagram on Wednesday, July 17. “I divorce you, I divorce you, and I Divorce You. Take care. Your ex-wife.”
Mahra’s father, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates.
In her post, Mahra appears to have invoked an Islamic practice called triple talaq, in which someone declares “I divorce you” three times, resulting in an instant divorce. It is traditionally only used by men to divorce their wives and is a controversial practice that many countries throughout the Middle East have banned.
The practice is not typically invoked by the wife and is not meant to be done via social media, so it is not clear what actual legal authority her post has. Regardless, it’s a savage way to tell your husband you’re done.
“I think many people aren’t seeing the value of her saying it three times but it adds power to her statement. It means she is 1000000% done,” activist and author Najwa Zebian wrote in the comments.
Another user wrote, “This is the actual power women are given in Islam! Just splendid how she has inspired millions of women!! God Bless!”
Not all were as supportive, however. The post inspired a handful of sexist comments from followers decrying the right for a woman to divorce her husband.
“Sister put on a hijab and listen to your husband,” one account commented.
Over the years, many celebrity couples have had on and off relationships that ultimately ended in divorce — but wasn’t always made legal the first time around. Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin were married for 25 years until she filed for divorce in August 2022. “I love my family. We are amicably and privately addressing […]
Mahra and Mana, who is also a member of the Dubai ruling family, married last year in a lavish wedding at the Dubai World Trade Center. They welcomed a daughter earlier this year, announcing her birth with a black-and-white Instagram photo of Mahra’s hands holding the newborn’s.
She shared a cryptic post on June 4 of herself cradling the baby in her arms captioned, “Just the two of us.” Fans are now speculating that could have been foreshadowing Wednesday’s news.
Followers also speculated at first that Mahra may have been hacked, but the post has been live for well over a day, while the couple has since removed all images of each other from their respective Instagram accounts. They also appear to have unfollowed each other.
Mana has not posted to his Instagram feed since April, but shared a photo via his Instagram Story earlier Thursday. It did not acknowledge Mahra’s message.
Neither the UAE government nor Mana have publicly commented on Mahra’s announcement.